15 Dream Rides Picked by You, Our Readers

Thanks to your enthusiasm, we present to you the most desirable cars (and spacecraft) to ever drive and fly on the surface of the Earth and the moon, and to navigate in space. Luckily for our prize department, the person who submitted our winning entry chose to remain anonymous.

Now, without further ado, the cars (and lunar rover and space shuttle):

Above: McLaren F1. We couldn't agree more with the choice of a McLaren F1.

Beyond its status as the world's fastest naturally aspirated production car, it's an engineering tour de force so personal to Gordon Murray that a DNA test from a carbon-fiber sample would certainly prove paternity. Even getting to see one in person is a treat, but nothing would beat a spot among those lucky enough to have the F1's seats, pedals and steering column custom fitted like a bespoke suit.

Photo: McLaren Automotive

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 SuperSport

Any car that surprises its own engineers with a record-setting track performance is worthy in our book.

That's just what a Veryon 16.4 SuperSport did back in July, when an orange and black number reminiscent of the Harley-Davidson Edition F-150 achieved an average top speed of 267.8 mph with test driver Pierre Henri Raphanel behind the wheel, much to the amazement of chief engineer Wolfgang Schreiber, who expected the car to hit only 264.

Photo: Bugatti

Aston Martin One-77

We've wanted to drive a One-77 since we first saw it peeking out from under a sheet at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. A carbon-fiber dream that's the result of no-holds-barred engineering and design, it earns every penny of a price tag north of $1.2 million. For a better look, check out the Aston porn gallery we ran shortly after the One-77 debuted to the public.

Photo: Jim Merithew / Wired.com

Porsche 918 Spyder

Sure, it's not officially in production yet, but Porsche's plug-in hybrid is tantalizing enough to belong on this list. We've written about it, we've photographed it and we've drooled over it. Now, we just need $630K to buy it.

Photo: Porsche

Ariel Atom

A top speed of 140 mph is plenty when 0-60 takes 2.7 seconds and the car costs under $50,000. For those who enjoy their motoring al fresco, the Ariel Atom is a no-brainer. You might be a no-brainer, too, if you don't wear a helmet or stick on the optional windscreen.

Photo: Ariel USA

Batmobile from The Dark Knight

Sure, it lives up to its billing of looking like a cross between a Lamborghini and a tank, but without the powers of a superhero, would you really want to drive one?

We hate to debunk a fantasy, but the Batmobile's visibility is so poor that during filming, stunt drivers relied on monitors connected to exterior cameras. It must be impossible to parallel park, and just think of the insurance.

Photo: Warner Bros.

Ford GT

Four years after production stopped, the sight and sound of the GT is still breathtaking. Still, we'd have trouble choosing between the original GT40 and the latest incarnation.

Photo: Ford

Ferrari F40

Apparently our readers are purists, preferring a super car with a 5-speed manual and without traction control to the high-tech gew-gaws of the 430 Scuderia. The F40 remains the pinnacle of the pre-Manettino era, and is a fitting epitaph for Enzo Ferrari, who commissioned the car shortly before his death.

Photo: Ferrari

Tesla Roadster

We have to gloat here: We didn't put the Tesla on our original list because we've already driven it. Still, we take pity on those of you haven't. It's lightning fast, eerily quiet and a total game-changer that proved electric cars don't have to be boring.

Photo: Chuck Squatriglia / Wired.com

Nissan GT-R

While the GT-R's price tag may still be too rich for our blood, it's still an accessible enough super car that we totally blanked on it when compiling our original list. D'oh. Thanks to our readers for bringing us back down to earth, and reminding us just how much we yearned for this car before it came to the United States.

Photo: Nissan

Pagani Zonda

The Zonda is designed as much for the track as for covers of coffee-table books about super cars. Though the design is 11 years old, the limited production numbers (fewer than 20 cars each year) ensure that you'll rarely pull up next to a Zonda at a stoplight — and stupid amounts of horsepower mated to a lightweight car mean that you won't see it for long if you do.

Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle

How closed-minded of us to assume that only vehicles that traverse the Earth's surface are worth driving. Almost as shocking as the fact it went to the moon is the fact that Boeing and Delco (yes, that Delco) only took 17 months to build an EV with a 22-mile range.

Photo: NASA

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Balboni

This special edition Lambo was named after Valentino Balboni, who retired in 2008 as chief test driver after spending 40 years getting paid to pilot new Lamborghinis. As a testament to the luckiest man alive, the Balboni was commissioned with rear-wheel drive only (why there's a "-2" in the title) and an optional 6-speed manual.

Photo: Lamborghini

Space Shuttle

Okay, we get that the space shuttle is cool — but so are sneezing pandas and homemade macaroni and cheese, and none of them belong on a list of great cars. Sorry.

Photo: NASA

Porsche 356

Again, we'd have to agree — and give out points for style, substance and historical significance. Our personal preference would be a few hours behind the wheel of a 356 Carrera, enjoying laps on the track in addition to the ride there and back.